The Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) program at Benedictine University, available through a partnership with the College of DuPage (C.O.D.), offers a private college education at state school prices.
The program also provides students with a seamless transfer of credits to Benedictine University from C.O.D. and pools the talents of some of the finest teachers and artists in the metropolitan area.
“There are many advantages to this program,” said William Scarlato, M.F.A., professor of Fine Arts at Benedictine University. “Students will not lose any credits when they transfer from C.O.D. to Benedictine, and the program is structured around Benedictine values such as the stewardship of artistic gifts and the full development of an artist’s role within the community.
“Students are also exposed to a wide variety of faculty,” Scarlato added. “They study with many different artists. And in terms of cost, tuition rates are competitive with local state universities.”
The program is designed for students who have completed two years of study and received an Associate of Fine Arts (A.F.A.) degree at C.O.D. Upon completion of their A.F.A. requirements, students will then have the opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts through the completion of an additional two years of study at Benedictine University.
Students will complete some humanities, mathematics and science courses along with art history and studio courses at the College of DuPage. Students will complete core courses and advanced art courses at Benedictine, although several of the required upper level Benedictine courses will be completed on the C.O.D. campus.
A student may also enroll at Benedictine University as a freshman in the Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art program and then transition into the B.F.A. program during his or her junior year. That option still allows a student to take courses at both campuses in order to utilize the strengths of both facilities and faculty.
“The program utilizes the assets of both Benedictine University and College of DuPage to provide a seamless educational experience for developing artists,” Scarlato said. “The program combines the professional training of the visual arts with a rigorous liberal arts curriculum.”
A traditional art foundation core and background in art history, criticism and aesthetics are combined with courses in drawing, printmaking, painting, sculpture, clay art, computer art and photography to provide students with a broad education befitting the contemporary artist. There is also the opportunity for study abroad in Italy at the Lorenzo DiMedici School.
A student who graduates with a degree in Fine Arts can pursue a career in studio art, advertising, graphic arts and many more arts-related fields.
“The program will be taught from a variety of philosophical and stylistic approaches to contemporary art,” Scarlato said. “Students will be prepared for either continued study in a Master of Fine Arts program of their choosing or an exhibition career and the life of an artist.”
For more information about the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fine Arts program at Benedictine University, contact the College of Liberal Arts at (630) 829-6247.

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Benedictine University is an independent Roman Catholic institution located in Lisle, Illinois just 25 miles west of Chicago. Founded in 1887, Benedictine provides 56 undergraduate majors, 16 graduate and four doctorate programs. The Chronicle of Higher Education recently ranked Benedictine University as the seventh fastest-growing campus among private nonprofit master’s universities, and Forbes magazine named Benedictine among the top 20 percent of America’s colleges for 2011. Benedictine University’s Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) program is listed by Crain’s Chicago Business as the fourth largest in the Chicago area in 2011.